Belgium Bike Tour Reviews (page 7)
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★★★★★ Linden Bentley 8 months agoGreat organization, fantastic biking.
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Fluvius (and reverse)
The biking staff we very helpful and knowledgeable. King and welcoming, understanding of all levels and the territory. The daily rides by digital “ride with gps” was pretty much flawless, and the app staff very fast and helpful when a problem arose.
The boat staff very warm and helpful. The cleaning staff timely and great for cabin cleaning. The chef; warm, funny and talented. Food delicious. -
★★★★★ David Baker 8 months agoGreat experience for first time bike tourists
· · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
The tour met and exceeded our expectations for a first time bike tourists. The barge captain had to make a detour due to construction which required changes in the itinerary but the crew and guide took it in stride and still gave a great experience.
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★★★★★ David Baker 8 months ago
First time bike-barge touring
· · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
This was our first time doing a bike-barge tour. We chose this tour based on positive recommendations from friends who had been on it before. Their recommendations and suggestions were spot on so when we took the tour we were well prepared. The crew of the barge were very pleasant and accommodating. If you're expecting five star cruise accommodations you'll be disappointed, but the dinners were outstanding and the cabins fulfilled our needs. There was maintenance on our original route so the captain had to take another route which meant all our rides had to be redone by the ride leader. We still had interesting and enjoyable rides. It's important to be a flexible traveler in order to truly enjoy this type of tour. We stayed in Bruge two days before the trip and we stayed two more days in Belgium after the tour and would recommend anyone taking this trip to do likewise.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, France
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★★★★★ Margaret Medernach 8 months ago
Bike tour
· Bruges City Bike Tour
Great tour. Guide was very informed and knew the city well. Very enjoyable ride through Bruges
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 5 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 5
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Margaret Farran 7 months ago
Not Really What We Expected
· · Bruges to Paris by Bike and Boat (and reverse)
We are seasoned bicyclists and have taken many bike tours. This tour was disappointing on a few fronts. The course of the tour had to change due to construction on the canal. This would have been fine except the guide, Harm, frequently did not seem to know where he was going. There were a couple of visits to places of interest (mining museum and a short stop at a WWI cemetery) but most times it felt like we were putting in time so as to not arrive hours before the boat arrived at its destination for the night. Our guide never led strolls around a town or provided much history. One evening when I asked if he could show us a pub to have a drink before dinner he said it was not his responsibility. We asked if we could bike on our own (as we have done on many other boat/bike tours in Europe) and were turned down. I pressed on quoting the description for the tour which read: "provide us with maps and all the information you'll need" to do a different distance. At that point Harm back tracked and said he'd provide this info. He never did. I've been biking for over 20 years on tours around the world and I have never had a guide so unhelpful and disengaged.
The food was adequate. Nice dinners but breakfast and lunch were lacking. We needed more sustenance for biking in October. Most tours provide a snack after a day of biking but we could not rely on one each day on this tour. The group bought our own snacks when we could but it was all rather odd. As if this tour had never hosted bikers before.
There was no wi-fi although the description said there would be. We at least had a data package, other people did not. What really gave us all pause was the captain's comments (1) it was too difficult to install wi-fi (I've never found that to be true on a boat) and (2) we really did not need it as we should not be on our phones during a tour. Rather presumptuous I thought. Don't advertise you have wi-fi when you don't.
We had some rain which was to be expected in October. One day it was just too wet to bike. We all stayed on the boat - no wi-fi, cabins too small to lounge in them, and while there was a large library of DVDs the captain announced the monitor did not work, therefore no video watching.
It felt like the boat was tired and the tour and crew either winding down for the season or going out of business.- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- 20+
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Do you recommend this tour?
- No
- Countries included in this tour?
- Belgium, France
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BikeTours.com staff reply from bozena_kusovac October 24, 2023
Hello Margaret! We're so sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. We deeply regret that it did not meet your expectations, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you encountered. We truly value your feedback and are committed to improving our services. Your input is crucial in helping us refine our services. Your comments about the tour route, lack of historical information, and guide foremost, are duly noted. We will address these concerns diligently and work on providing a better experience in the future. Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. We value your 20 years of biking experience and hope to have the opportunity to provide you with a more engaging and rewarding tour in the future.
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★★★★★ Mark F 3 weeks agoCycling around Bruges
· Bruges City Bike Tour
Joost was our tour guide. He's local and speaks English very well. Joost used stories to tell us about the history of Bruges. The ride is on cobblestone, but the bicycle seats are very comfortable so I did not notice any discomfort. We traveled about 7 or 8 km. It was an easy ride with many stops. We never felt rushed and was free to ask any questions. We had time to take photos at each stop. A very nice tour.
- What was the date of your tour?
- April 29, 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Mary Stavrou 2 weeks ago
What a great tour!
· Bruges City Bike Tour
Our tour guide was a seasoned local who shows his passion for his city of Bruges through his wealth of knowledge. We developed a great appreciation for the struggles of Bruges through its history, it beautiful architecture and the wonderful attractions happening today. Also his bikes are in perfect working order! He makes sure of it. No rattles!
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★★★★★ Hazel Mackie 2 weeks ago
Such fun - the highlight of our stay
· Bruges City Bike Tour
Jos, our guide, was excellent - funny, knowledgeable, and a champion of his beautiful city. The cycle tour was the perfect way to orientate ourselves and learn some of the rich history of Bugges.
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★★★★★ Wendy Drysdale 2 weeks agoAmsterdam -gouda-Bruges
· · Amsterdam – Gouda – Bruges by Bike and Boat
A wonderful experience. Our guide was great. Boat captain very friendly and helpful. Chef was excellent.
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★★★★★ Patricia Doody 5 days agoAmazing bike and barge trip!
· · Amsterdam – Bruges by Bike and Boat – Magnifique IV (and reverse)
My husband and I loved every minute of it! Fantastic crew, who looked after every single thing on our bike and barge tour.
Love cycling every day through beautiful historic areas and quiet countryside. Couldn’t get over the green lush areas, and always fun to cycle by the many canals!
The barge was spacious and had many very nice outdoor areas to lounge and relax.
Very talented and hard-working guides, hostesses, chef and captain!
Can’t wait to book our next tour! -
★★★★★ Wendy Geiger 3 days agoLovely Tour of South Holland and Bruges
· Amsterdam to Bruges: Cycling through South Holland and Zeeland
This was my first supported bike travel vacation and it was lovely. Although the GPS stopped working on day 4, we were able to use the previously downloaded Maps on Ride with GPS. Luckily I brought my phone holder so it was convenient. There were some routes that were a bit more complex than necessary with the route going off on a tangent and then coming back to the original roadway- most likely to provide more scenic byways or to add mileage. We were often able to stop along the way at a cafe to have a drink or dessert or even lunch. I recommend using the ebikes for Holland due to the wind. We had great weather in early/mid- May but missed the blooming tulips. Next time we'll go in April to see the tulips (although the weather might offer more rain). We had beautiful weather with sun and 70 degree days (one into the 80s) with only 1-1/2 days with rain. Loved that someone took our bags on to the hotels for us and the charming B&Bs were luxury. Loved, loved, loved the last B&B (De Zomere) in Bruges. It was quite unique and my sister and her hubby were jealous of the accommodations as they were placed in the non-descript Martin's hotel along with half of Bruges' tourists! I would recommend for future bike tours that you list bringing along some anti-chafing "butter" for your derriere. The upright position of the bikes is a different sensation for those of us used to Road bikes and it made for a few uncomfortable days in the saddle. Overall, a wonderful way to spend part of a vacation.
